It’s never been tough for Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson to get their competitive juices flowing. Throw a pair of the NFL’s most driven quarterbacks into the mix and it’s not surprising that the chatter about the upcoming made-for-TV team showdown has started in earnest.
Confirming previous speculation, Tiger Woods told Golf Digest that he will indeed be partnering with Peyton Manning in the event while Mickelson will be joined by new Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady.
Woods said the addition of Manning and Brady has ramped up the level of chirping.
“There has been a little bit of trash talk already, a little bit of banter back and forth,” Woods told Golf Digest. “Whether it’s ‘I might need extra caddies to carry my Super Bowls,’ because he has more Super Bowls than my partner. Or, ‘I’ve got more majors than Phil, so I’m gonna have to have a truck come up to the first tee and U-Haul it out.
“We’ve had banter back and forth, and it’s been fantastic. But it’s typical us, it’s what we do. We like to give out the needle, and to give out the needle you gotta be able to take it. It’s been fun, and it’ll be like that when we play, when we compete. There will be banter back and forth, but it won’t be as rough as what we have in our text exchange.”
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Woods and Mickelson met in a $9 million duel in the Las Vegas desert back in November 2018, but the rematch will be called “The Match: Champions for Charity on TNT,” and all donations and fundraising will benefit COVID-19 relief.
As Golfweek reported earlier, Manning and Woods played together in the pro-am at the Memorial last year and would be a likely pair. Brady, who recently joined Florida’s Seminole Golf Club, on a team with Mickelson.
According to a release from Turner Sports, Tournament organizers are working with state and local government and public health officials to ensure the event follows safety and health protocols.